Fewer American cos to lay off sales staff

A silver lining appears to be in sight for America's strained labour market as a survey shows that lesser number of companies will be looking to trim their sales workforce in the coming months.

"...Only two of 10 companies (21 per cent) plan to reduce sales headcount this year, a sharp decline from the 53 per cent that did so...earlier this winter," global consulting firm Watson Wyatt has said.

Moreover, the survey revealed that recession is providing most companies with a reprieve from the pains of attracting and retaining sales professionals.

"Only 20 per cent of companies reported having greater difficulty attracting or retaining sales professionals this year compared with 2008," it added.

Watson Wyatt noted that there is also a decline in the number of employers planning to lower sales goals and quotas, or modify sales professionals' territories.

Instead, employers would be looking at ways to manage costs and grow revenues. The survey was conducted among the sales and HR executives at 91 large US companies.